Reuters seeks Pentagon probe on journalist's death

[deminks]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060827/ts_nm/iraq_reuters_dc_1

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Reuters news agency urged the U.S. military on Sunday to investigate the killing of one of its journalists by American troops in Baghdad a year ago.

An independent inquiry commissioned by Reuters concluded that the soldiers' shooting of television soundman Waleed Khaled on August 28 last year appeared "unlawful."

But the Pentagon has failed to respond to requests to review the local commander's ruling, which said the firing of shots at the car was "appropriate."

The report also criticized the military for "losing" vital video footage of the incident shot by the Reuters cameraman who was Khaled's passenger. He was wounded and then arrested by troops.

[MrPrax]

1. Which one's again?

Wounded cameraman tells of Gaza blast

GAZA (Reuters) - The missile struck the "P" of the bright red "PRESS" sign on the roof of the armour-plated Reuters car as Gaza cameraman Fadel Shana hurried to film an Israeli raid.

Shana saw only a sheet of flame and the doors of the vehicle fly open.

...

Shana recounted how he had rushed out to film after hearing of a suspected Israeli air strike in the Shijaiya neighbourhood, a militant stronghold. He was searching for the site, which he estimated to be some 1,200 metres (yards) from the nearest Israeli soldiers, when the missile struck.

...

Army spokeswoman Meir said the fact that gunmen were later targeted and killed close to where the Reuters vehicle was hit indicated that it was close to a combat area.

The Foreign Press Association described the attack as "outrageous targeting" of the vehicle and rejected the army's "excuses". It also demanded a full and transparent investigation.


Reuters

Israeli Airstrike Hits Reuters Vehicle

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip Aug 27, 2006 (AP)— Israeli aircraft fired two missiles early Sunday at an armored car belonging to the Reuters news agency, wounding five people, including two cameramen, Palestinian witnesses and hospital officials said.

The Israeli army said it did not realize the car's passengers were journalists and only attacked because the vehicle was driving in a suspicious manner near Israeli troops in the middle of a combat zone.
...

The airstrike on the journalists' car came as Israeli soldiers backed by two dozen tanks, two bulldozers, helicopters and drone planes moved into an area just inside the Gaza Strip near the Karni crossing, witnesses and Palestinian security officials said.

The army said the troops were searching for explosives planted by Palestinian militants alongside the border fence and for tunnels under the border. After the operation began, groups of militants repeatedly gathered to try to attack the soldiers, the army and witnesses said.

The Reuters cameraman, Fadel Shama'a, 23, and Sabah Hamida, 25, who worked for a local television company, had the doors open and were about to get out of the armored vehicle in the nearby Shajaiyeh neighborhood to film the raid when it was struck by the missiles, according to Shamas Odeh, chief of Reuters TV in Gaza.

ABC

I guess this LBN story is about another Press attack from last year... :shrug:

[Sherman A1]

3. This has that USS Liberty

"Get the H_ _ _ out of my way" look and feel to it.

[leesa]

2. Why bother? The military always clears itself.

How many journalists did the military off in the beginning of the occupation? ALL of them were just little "oopsies"

[modrepub]

4. More like

a statement in my mind.